Terms of Service

1. Acceptance of Terms

By accessing or using the CautaManage platform ("Service"), operated by Cauta Solutions Group Limited ("we", "us", or "our") — a company incorporated in Ghana with its registered office in Accra, Ghana — you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service. If you do not agree, you may not use the Service.

These terms apply to all users of the platform, including facility operators, staff members, investor-owners, and guests with self-serve check-in access.

This agreement constitutes an electronic transaction under the Electronic Transactions Act, 2008 (Act 772) of the Republic of Ghana. Your use of the Service and acceptance of these terms in electronic form has the same legal effect as a signed written agreement.

2. Description of Service

CautaManage is a serviced-apartment management platform that provides tools for operators of short-stay accommodation in Ghana and across Africa. The Service currently offers the following surfaces:

• Rate plans and dynamic pricing (per-unit, per-facility)
• Availability calendar with blocked-date management
• OTA channel synchronisation via iCal (Airbnb, Booking.com, VRBO, generic iCal)
• Booking lifecycle: create, check-in, check-out, extend, cancel
• Smart-lock PIN issuance and revocation (Dahua, Hikvision, ZKTeco)
• Housekeeping turnover task automation
• Linen and consumables inventory tracking
• Guest registration with encrypted PII storage
• Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) foreign-guest register export
• KPI dashboard: ADR, occupancy, RevPAR, ALOS
• Per-investor yield reporting and commission accounting
• Telegram, email, and SMS guest communications
• Audit logging of all significant actions

CautaManage reserves the right to add, modify, rename, or deprecate features at any time. Material changes will be communicated to facility operators at least 30 days in advance, subject to the notice period in Section 18.

The Service is available as a cloud-hosted platform with a Progressive Web App for iOS and Android home-screen installation. On-premise deployment is available as a custom feature by separate arrangement (see Section 10).

3. Accounts and Registration

3.1 Account Creation

Accounts are created by facility operators or platform superadmins. Each user receives a unique user ID and must set a secure password upon first login. Where two-factor authentication is enrolled by facility policy, the user must complete enrollment before gaining full access.

3.2 Account Responsibilities

• You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your login credentials.
• You must notify your facility operator immediately of any unauthorized access to your account.
• You may not share your account credentials with others.
• You are responsible for all activities that occur under your account, including the issuance and distribution of smart-lock PINs and the export of guest register data.

3.3 Account Termination

Facility operators may deactivate user accounts at any time. We reserve the right to suspend or terminate accounts that violate these terms.

4. Subscriptions and Payments

4.1 Plans and Pricing

CautaManage offers subscription plans during the design-partner phase and at general availability. Pricing during the design-partner phase is negotiated bilaterally; pricing at general availability will be published on our website. We reserve the right to modify pricing with 30 days' advance notice.

4.2 Billing

• Subscription fees are billed in advance on a monthly or annual basis.
• Payments are processed through Paystack, Hubtel, MTN MoMo, or other payment providers as available in your region.
• All fees are non-refundable unless otherwise stated.

4.3 Design-Partner Programme

During the design-partner phase, selected facility operators may receive a discounted first-year subscription in exchange for ongoing product feedback. Design-partner terms are documented in a separate agreement that supplements these Terms of Service.

4.4 Currency and Exchange Rates

Subscription prices are denominated in Ghana Cedis (GHS) or US Dollars (USD) at the operator's election. Where invoices mix currencies for guest-related transactions, the exchange rate applied to display totals is the operator's configured "Prevailing USD/GHS Forex Rate" or, if unset, a fallback derived from the most recent USD payment in the 30 days preceding the report. The GHS amount actually charged at the payment gateway is the binding price for billing purposes.

5. Data Isolation and Multi-Tenancy

CautaManage operates as a multi-tenant platform. Each facility's data is logically isolated from other facilities. Users of one facility cannot access data belonging to another facility unless explicitly granted access by a platform administrator for support purposes.

5.1 Administrative Access

CautaManage platform administrators ("superadmins") may access facility data for the purposes of technical support, troubleshooting, and platform maintenance. This includes the ability to view facility data and, where necessary, act on behalf of a user to resolve issues. All such access is logged in the platform's audit trail.

5.2 Investor-Owner Access

Where a facility operator invites an investor-owner as a read-only user of their unit, the investor's access is strictly limited to: (a) BUSY/BLOCKED date ranges on their unit's calendar, and (b) their own Investor Yield statement. Investor-owner accounts cannot access guest personal data, ID numbers, smart-lock PINs, channel-manager configuration, or any other facility-level data.

5.3 Guest Self-Serve Access

Where a guest is granted self-serve access (e.g. to provide their own check-in details), the guest's access is strictly limited to: (a) the booking record for their stay, (b) the option to provide / update their own identification details, and (c) communication channel preferences. Guests cannot access other guests' data, facility financial data, or operator tooling.

6. Acceptable Use

You agree not to:

• Use the Service for any unlawful purpose, including operating accommodation without the licences, permits, or approvals required under Ghanaian law.
• Attempt to gain unauthorized access to other accounts or systems.
• Upload malicious code, viruses, or harmful content.
• Interfere with or disrupt the Service or its infrastructure.
• Scrape, mine, or extract data from the Service through automated means.
• Resell or redistribute the Service without authorization.
• Use the Service to harass, abuse, or harm others, including guests, staff, or investor-owners.
• Circumvent security features or access controls.
• Misuse the GIS foreign-guest register export — its purpose is statutory compliance with the Immigration Act; downloads are audited.
• Share smart-lock PIN values inappropriately or retain them beyond the stay window for which they were issued.

7. Data and Content

7.1 Your Data

You retain ownership of all data you enter into the platform. We do not claim ownership of your facility records, financial data, or guest information. Guest personal data is processed by Cauta Solutions Group Limited as a data processor on behalf of the facility operator (data controller), in accordance with the Privacy Policy and the Data Protection Act, 2012 (Act 843).

7.2 Data Processing

By using the Service, you grant us permission to process your data as necessary to provide the Service. This includes storing, backing up, encrypting at rest, and transmitting data as described in our Privacy Policy.

7.3 Data Export

You may export your data at any time using the export features available within the platform, including CSV exports, PDF reports, and the audited GIS foreign-guest register CSV.

7.4 Data Deletion

Upon termination of your subscription, we will retain your data for 90 days to allow for reactivation. After this period, live-database data will be permanently deleted. The GIS-relevant guest register data is subject to additional retention windows described in the Privacy Policy.

8. Statutory Compliance — Operator Obligations

CautaManage provides tools that support compliance with Ghanaian law. The platform does not transfer the operator's underlying legal obligations to Cauta Solutions Group Limited. You acknowledge and agree that as a facility operator:

• You are responsible for maintaining accurate guest records as required by the Immigration Act, 2000 (Act 573) and for submitting the foreign-guest register to the Ghana Immigration Service as required.
• You are responsible for displaying appropriate consent notices to guests at the point of data collection, in compliance with the Data Protection Act, 2012 (Act 843).
• You are responsible for the tax obligations attached to your serviced-apartment operation, including but not limited to VAT, GETFund Levy, NHIL, COVID-19 Health Recovery Levy, Tourism Levy, and any applicable income tax.
• You are responsible for licensing your accommodation operation in accordance with the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA) and any other applicable regulatory body.
• You are responsible for ensuring that smart-lock PINs are distributed only to the intended guest and revoked promptly when no longer required.

Cauta Solutions Group Limited makes no representation that use of the platform alone constitutes compliance with any of the above obligations. The platform's GIS export, audit log, and retention features are designed to facilitate compliance, but the legal duty remains with the operator.

9. Third-Party Services

The Service integrates with third-party providers including:

• Paystack — payment processing, subject to Paystack's Terms.
• Hubtel — mobile money payment processing, subject to Hubtel's Terms.
• MTN MoMo — mobile money settlement, subject to MTN's applicable terms.
• Telegram — messaging, subject to Telegram's Terms.
• Firebase (Google) — push notifications, subject to Google's Terms.
• OTA channel partners (Airbnb, Booking.com, VRBO, etc.) — iCal exchange, subject to each OTA's terms of service.
• Smart-lock vendors (Dahua, Hikvision, ZKTeco) — subject to each vendor's terms of service.

We are not responsible for the practices or policies of third-party services. We encourage you to review their respective terms and privacy policies.

10. On-Premise Deployments

On-premise deployment is a custom feature available only by separate arrangement. It is not included in standard subscription plans. For facilities using on-premise deployments:

• The facility is responsible for hardware, network, and physical security of the local server.
• Data stored on local nodes is the facility's responsibility.
• Cloud sync functionality requires an active internet connection and valid sync credentials.
• We provide the software "as is" for on-premise use and are not responsible for local infrastructure failures.

11. Service Availability

We target 99% uptime for the cloud-hosted platform, excluding scheduled maintenance windows. However, we do not guarantee uninterrupted access. The Service may be temporarily unavailable due to:

• Scheduled maintenance (with advance notice where possible).
• Emergency security patches.
• Circumstances beyond our control (force majeure, including but not limited to internet service disruptions, power outages, and natural disasters).

Operators are responsible for maintaining alternative procedures (e.g. paper backup of today's expected check-ins, an out-of-band channel for smart-lock PIN distribution) for the unlikely event that the Service is unavailable during a guest arrival.

12. Intellectual Property

The CautaManage platform, including its source code, design, logos, and documentation, is the intellectual property of Cauta Solutions Group Limited. You may not copy, modify, distribute, or reverse engineer any part of the Service.

13. Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law:

• The Service is provided "as is" without warranties of any kind, express or implied.
• We are not liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages.
• Our total liability shall not exceed the amount you paid for the Service in the 12 months preceding the claim.
• We are not liable for data loss resulting from on-premise hardware failures, user error, or circumstances beyond our control.
• We are not liable for losses arising from a smart-lock vendor's API outage, an OTA's calendar drift outside the platform's control, or a guest's failure to receive a communication through a third-party channel.
• We are not liable for the operator's statutory exposure under the Immigration Act, the Data Protection Act, or any tax legislation, where the platform's tools were available but not used by the operator.

14. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify and hold CautaManage harmless from any claims, damages, or expenses arising from your use of the Service or violation of these terms.

15. Dispute Resolution

In the event of any dispute arising out of or in connection with these Terms:

1. Negotiation: The parties shall first attempt to resolve the dispute through good-faith negotiation within 30 days of written notice of the dispute.
2. Mediation: If negotiation fails, the parties agree to submit the dispute to mediation in accordance with the Alternative Dispute Resolution Act, 2010 (Act 798) of the Republic of Ghana, administered by the Ghana Arbitration Centre or another agreed mediation body in Accra.
3. Litigation: If mediation fails or is not pursued within 60 days, either party may submit the dispute to the courts of competent jurisdiction in Accra, Ghana.

16. Governing Law

These terms are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Republic of Ghana, including but not limited to the Electronic Transactions Act, 2008 (Act 772), the Data Protection Act, 2012 (Act 843), the Immigration Act, 2000 (Act 573), and the Alternative Dispute Resolution Act, 2010 (Act 798). Subject to the dispute resolution procedure in Section 15, any legal proceedings shall be brought in the courts of Accra, Ghana.

17. Limitation of Claims

Any claim arising out of or relating to these Terms or the Service must be brought within twelve (12) months from the date the cause of action accrues, unless a longer period is required by applicable Ghanaian law. Claims not brought within this period are waived to the maximum extent permitted by law.

18. Changes to Terms

We may update these Terms of Service at any time. We will notify users of material changes at least 30 days in advance by email or through the platform. Continued use of the Service after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the updated terms.

19. Contact Us

If you have questions about these Terms of Service, contact us at:

• Operating entity: Cauta Solutions Group Limited, Accra, Ghana
• Email: hello@cautamanage.com (general) · privacy@cautamanage.com (data protection)